How to attract the career move you want: Develop your ‘You Brand’

There’s no denying the fact that autumn is fully upon us. The leaves are falling, the nights are drawing in, the diary is full up, the trains are packed again and summer is a distant memory. However it’s not all bad as now is the perfect time to work on your personal brand and get yourself out there. Whether this is the moment you are just about to hire someone into your team, or you’re thinking it’s time to look for your next opportunity your online presence needs to pop, be consistent and relevant to make an impact in this competitive talent landscape.

Get headhunted: If you are a senior exec, the challenge you face is that most opportunities aren’t advertised on a ‘job board’ or sent to you in a mail – you need to be approached. So the keys to getting noticed are having a great online presence, networking and keeping current and topical – be it your job title or the type of projects, products and industry that you’re associated with.

I get asked all the time how to improve the chances of attracting great talent or being headhunted for that great new opportunity, so below are some simple tips that I always share in unlocking the future – for your business or yourself, you need to put your best self out there, every day.

1. Have a polished LinkedIn Profile

Sounds simple but not a day goes by when someone doesn’t ask me to advise them on maximizing or improving their LinkedIn profile. In today’s talent ecosystem, LinkedIn is the starting point for making your mark and connecting with the people that you want to notice you.

Starting with a dynamic summary. This is your chance to direct people to your talent and experience source. Use this as your online signposts to show who you are and what you’re all about. These are your own personal hashtags. Every role needs to summarize your successes and achievements, within that role; the things that you delivered while you were in that business.

Photo: It’s amazing to me how many senior executives still haven’t mastered this and haven’t got the right kind of profile pic. It has to look professional, head and shoulders shot, camera facing, clear and clean.

Recommendations are great too, and over and above that be seen online – commenting, participating in groups, articles, and status updates. Engage and been seen regularly.

Personal pet hate: Starting a new role, and not updating your previous roles to the past tense. It’s a fine detail, but it tells me a lot. Be current.

2. Develop your ‘You Brand’

I talk to my team and individuals who I coach all the time about their ‘You Brand’. Ask yourself:
What’s your Brand?
What is your name synonymous with?
What’s your USP?

If you want to stand out from your peers, define yourself in a way that singles you out from the crowd in a concise and engaging style. I always say – You need to treat yourself like a startup.

3. Network and reach out to your Alumni

Get out there! Be seen, and go to every event you can. You’ve got be to consistently attending conferences, speaking engagements etc. You need to be where the cutting edge of your industry, function or peer group is.

Secondly, use your Alumni. Everyone knows the PayPal Mafia, they are a great example; they have all moved onto create some of the best tech companies around. My question to executives is: when was the last time you reached out to your ex colleagues? They may be the key to unlocking your future career opportunities.

4. Be current, be topical

This is two fold: how relevant you are, and how current your conversation is.

Ask yourself: Is your current career experience relevant? It sounds simplistic, but you’ve got to be relevant. Even in a traditional role you need to use now words and embrace changes to keep sharp and current.

Then think about your online conversations. What are the burning issues online today – what problem is everybody trying to solve? What are the questions in my industry that people are asking? Try and answer them – get active, be seen.

Disruption, Big Data, Growth Hacking, Globalisation, IOT – there are many topics you can involve yourself in. Get involved, comment, and connect.

5. Your ‘Nowness’

In the fast paced startup and high growth world I live in, everyone needs that new talent or fresh skill set – now. Your availability to head straight into your next project is key to highlight, and might springboard you to the front of the queue.

6. Have a consistent online presence

The first thing we do today is Google someone, it’s human nature. Your online ‘shop window’ needs to showcase all of you or your business, all of the time: new lines and best selling pieces. Be consistently visible across as many platforms as you can.

All of the above is relevant whether you are looking for a career move yourself. And even if you have no intention of looking, but you’re about to hire your team, do a minimum of the above, and more